Friend of the ASI Stuart Wheeler has passed the first hurdle in his noble endeavour to force the government to hold its promised referendum on the Lisbon Treaty (i.e. EU Constitution). On Friday, Mr Justice Owen ruled in favour of having the decision judicially reviewed in the High Court. The Lisbon Treaty, signed by 27 EU leaders in Lisbon in December, is intended to replace the European Constitution that was rejected by French and Dutch voters in referendums in 2005.

With the increasing loss of sovereign democratic power to the unaccountable European supranational bureaucracy, Mr Wheeler is fighting on the side of all that value legitimate democracy. It is time that the relations in Europe were rooted in national democracy, with power resting in votes of the people in each country. There are strong reasons to be close to other countries of Europe, but relations should not be based upon centralising legal and political powers in Brussels, but upon respectful diplomatic relations and the concord of free trade.

There are two things you can do right now to show your disgust at the government’s duplicity. The first is to contribute to Mr Wheeler’s campaign; the second is to sign this petition to the government initiated by Nigel Farage MEP.